Opua railway station

Opua railway station was a station on the Opua Branch in New Zealand, serving the port of Opua.[1][2][3]

Opua railway station
Opua station and wharf in 1950
General information
Location	New Zealand
Coordinates	35.313491°S 174.12123°E / -35.313491; 174.12123
Elevation	3 m (9.8 ft)
Line(s)	Opua Branch
Distance	Westfield Junction 298.96 km (185.77 mi)
History
Opened	7 April 1884
Closed	goods 18 September 1993 passengers 21 June 1976
Services
Preceding station   Historical railways   Following station terminus   Opua Branch KiwiRail   Whangae Bridge Line closed, station closed 1.68 km (1.04 mi)

Opua 1942 one inch map

It had a 5th class station, passenger platform, crane, stationmaster's house, urinals, a 40 ft (12 m) x 30 ft (9.1 m) goods shed and an engine shed. In 1940 the turntable was lengthened to 62 ft (19 m). There was a Post Office at the station from 1884 until 1968.[4]

There were railway lines on the wharf from at least 1895 until 11 April 1978, when sleepers were placed to prevent access to wharf as it was unsafe. On 13 February 1981 the station closed to all but private siding traffic.[4]

When the North Auckland Line was fully opened in 1925, the Opua Express passenger train operated thrice weekly from Auckland to Opua. From November 1956 Opua was served only by mixed trains between Whangarei and Opua, the last running on 18 June 1976. The station, and a large part of the cliff behind it, was demolished between 1966 and 1973[5] and a new station built in 1968.[4] Moerewa Dairy Factory and Affco Meat Works used the railway for export via Opua until 1985. The line was leased to the Bay of Islands Vintage Railway from 1989[4] until 2001, when the Land Transport Safety Authority withdrew the line's operating licence.